STOP AND THINK – Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. (The Bible)
If we were to establish a table of sins, gossip would probably not be very high on the list. We think of violent crimes—murder, assault, and the like—as being much worse than the “sins” of the tongue. Yet we have probably all been witnesses to the great damage that uncontrolled gossip can cause. We’d do well to learn to control our tongues.
A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much (Proverbs 20:19).